Insult Me
by CC Malfoy 17
Summary: "Insult me one more time, Malfoy," she blew the hair out of her face "and you'll wish you've never been born." HGDM! My second attempt at a multi-chapter story. Rated M for swearing.
1. Chapter 1

My second attempt at a multi-chappie story. Hope you like it.

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"_Granger!_"

It was a mad chase, just running, jumping and ducking over and under the Forbidden Forest's gnarled roots and twisted branches. The light both their wands gave them was only of little help.

"Granger! Get back here you, _idiot_!"

He let out a loud groan, tired of the antics of the woman he was currently chasing. He cursed her and her stubbornness and damned attitude.

"Look, I'm sorry I said that! Now get the _fuck_ back!"

She twisted, turning to the left, separating from the path that was their only way back. His curses were even louder than before, and more prominent amongst the sounds of their feet and heavy panting.

"I know you're not! Leave me alone!"  
"Ugh! We're lost!"

She slowed down as the frightening realization that he was right swept over her like a blast of harsh, cold wind. He stopped five meters away from her, pretty sure that she was going to stop... unless she really was as barmy as he teased her to be.

"That was stupid, Granger," he shouted out to her "Do you even know the way back?"

She shot him a nasty glare, one that he wasn't even threatened of as she quipped back.

"I didn't ask you to follow me. I was running away from you, if you'd care to remember, you vile bastard."  
"Oh, grow _up, _Granger."

Her eyes instantly took up a fiery look as she turned to bore holes into his head. Apparently, this wasn't enough as she stomped her way over to him, the crunching of leaves loud in both their ears. She whipped out her wand and dug it into his neck. The air around them seemed to cackle with hatred only the two of them could ever produce.

"How about _you_ be the one to grow up?! _You're _the immature school bully who can't walk around like a normal person, and instead _struts_ and _swaggers, _because that head of yours is too big to balance on your neck!"

Her face was red in anger and frustration, his, a cool mask of indifference. He raised one perfectly blonde eyebrow at her.

"Your parents and blood heritage must be a _real_ sore spot for you to actually go in here and get yourself lost, hmmm? Insecure about being a _mudblood_?" he smirked at her.

Her jaw clenched painfully, her hand making her magical wooden stick dig further into Draco's neck. "Ask your aunt what she did to them."

He froze on the spot, something unknown flittering across his silvery blue eyes. "That was... your parents... the muggles she..."  
"The muggles she crucio-ed, just like Neville's. But she left mine in a pile of ashes. On my bed."

He flinched. He did not know that. Not until now. If he did, he would sure as hell _not_ insult her about her parents. He wasn't as heartless as they made him out to be, even though it was a close call. His aunt, he even reckoned people underestimated her barmy-ness. She killed muggles because she wanted to, she kissed the floor the Dark Lord walked on, hell, _licked it._ She loved the sick and grotesque ways of torturing people who stood up to her. She was the Dark Lord's most faithful servant, following him around like some pathetic puppy.

"I... I apologize."  
Her face did not soften, it did not harden. All he noticed was that her face returned to its original color. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, stepping away from him and letting her wand hand fall to her side. She turned and searched for a tree stump to sit on, and put her head in her hands. Malfoy sighed and slid down a tree to sit on the forest floor.

"Just tell me when you're ready, Granger. We'll look for the path and-"  
"Just go. Now. I... I'm perfectly capable of finding my way out alone.  
"Don't be stupid, Granger. It's almost past curfew. It's _dark_. You can't go through the Forbidden Forest in the dark alone."  
"Who are you to tell me what to do and what not to do? The last time I checked, we're not acquintances, much less friends."

His scowl was clearly etched upon his face. Was this girl really as hard-headed as a rock? Did she not know that this, accompanying her back to the castle, was as kind as he could get? Oh surey, he did something wrong, but didn't she know that he was _Draco Malfoy_?

_Damn that woman._

He just sat there, then, still scowling. He plaed with his ring, counting the minutes that passed by until "Granger's-I-can-do-everything" act had a sudden break and they could get back into the castle and the warmth of their own beds.

"Oi. Granger, it's been 30 minutes since we ran in here, and you still don't want to go back? C'mon. The later we get back, the harder it will be."  
"It's been 22 minutes and 14 seconds since I told you to go back on your own. And correction, I still don't want to go back _with you_."

He silently applauded her for her impeccable sense of time (not that he believed her). It was really past curfew now, which was no joke for Filch. He wasn't scared of the filthy caretaker, he just didn't exactly rejoice in the idea of another detention, scrubbing the floor and all that. So, he really needed to get back now. Well, she had to get back, too. But the point _is_, gallant Gryffinor girls with a fetish of showing off their chivalric deeds deserved to be left alone in the Forbidden Forest.

"Fine."

He got up, dusting himself off. He turned around. His lit wand in his hand, led the way as he set off to find the path. Luckily, he wouldn't run into any carnivorous creatures.

_Then again, I could somehow Imperio them to gobble Granger up, _he thought.

He trudged on, irked by the hanging vines. The moonlight that managed to reach past the towering canopy helped him see better, but that didn't mean it would help him to actually _get there._

Once, his shirt got caught in one of the low branches that he could've sworn wasn't there before. He swatted it away like an irritating fly, and his shirt pulled free. He grumbled in annoyance, blaming the girl he left all alone as the reason for his misery.

There was a large... curtain... of leaves in front of him, sprouting out of branches high and low. He blindly swept them away, still _really_ annoyed with Granger.

He froze in his spot for the second time that day.

He was in a clearing. There was a blazing fire right in the middle of the place, shining bright, and simply oozing out heat. He felt it from where he was, and that was quite remarkable, for he was a good 8 feet away. The clearing was perfectly circular, as though it had been intentional. There were bows and arrows lying around, which he squinted at, knowing that it was a great big clue as to what actually lived there. He furrowed his eyebrows and started to back away.

_Whiz!_

He jumped sideways as he registered the arrow that flew past his ear, and would've probably impaled the side of his head had his Quidditch reflexes not been there to save him.

His eyes widened as he could hear galloping and something stepping out from his left.

"What are you doing here, human?"

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And BAM! Very short first chapter. Go on, press that little pretty review button and tell me what you think.

I KNOW it's very short, but promise it'll get longer with more time. Pweasssssse r and r!

~~~ CC Malfoy 17~~~


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry, for the long wait, peeps! Second chapter up! :))))

Discalimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling :)

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_"Shit._"

His eyes widened as he turned around to see a centaur, an angry one at that. He had his arrow notched and pointed straight at Draco. _I shouldn't have said that aloud, _thought Draco.

"What did you say, human?!"

His nostrils flared as Draco tried to back away slowly, his stuttering apologies not quite enough for the centaurs.

"I... I... didn't mean you. I was..."

The centaur gave a loud and angry... _snort._ "What is your business here, wizard? You are not supposed to be here, in our territory! You have trespassed, and you will pay dearly for what you have done."

_Fucking hell... What to do..._

He watched as the centaur call on another, and another, and another until the whole... group was there. There were harsh whispers around him as they glared at him, the first one still not putting down his bow and arrow. _Oh Salazar's beard... don't shoot, don't shoot, don't-_

"Malfoy?"

All the centaurs (and Malfoy) turned to look as a girl entered the clearing, too. A girl with bushy brown hair. _So this is the day that Hermione Granger shows up only when you need her. Thank you Merlin, he thought._

"What are you – _Bane!_"

Draco watched as the centaur with the notched arrow turned to look at Hermione. "Greetings, Miss Granger. We meet again."

Hermione gave a small, nervous smile and her eyes flickered from Bane to Draco. _Oh sweet Merlin, please let the centaurs forget what happened the last time, _thought Hermione.

"Miss Granger, do you remember the last time you were here? With that human in pink? And then the giant?"

Hermione gulped. "I... uh... Yes, I do. Let me explain. I-"  
"Shush. We do not need your explanations. Stand beside this human."

Hermione's eyes widened as Bane pointed his arrow at Draco. She walked towards him. "Bane, please d-"  
"I believe I was not talking to you anymore, human."

Hermione's eyes widened in panic and fear. _Magorian_, _where are you?_

"Bane. Let them go."

_Oh, thank Godric._

"It would do you well to keep quiet, Magorian. You speak too much."  
"I am only saying the humans have only trespassed our territory by accident, so they didn't r-"

The other centaurs made a racket, disagreeing with Magorian. "Magorian! What is wrong with you? You are being more and more like Firenze! Are you fond of these humans?"

The centaurs continue to argue amongst themselves, leaving the two students to stay there, body frozen in fear. Draco could almost hear the whirring of gears inside Hermione's brain, and he nudged her. "What have you thought of?"

She scowled at him. "I don't remember including you in the plan."  
"Oh, come off it, Granger. Do you really want me to die here?"  
"That question is better left unanswered."

Draco glared at Hermione. "Now listen, Malfoy. You owe me big time. When I say left, I mean right. When I say forward, I mean back. You got me?"  
"Yes."

Hermione's eyes flitted across the landscape, judging the possible exits. Her hand inched toward her wand, and she brought it out, uttering a spell.

"_Lumos Maxima!"_

White, bright light came from her wand, surprising the centaurs with the blinding light.

"_Right_, Malfoy! _Right!"_

Hermione and Draco blindly ran to the left, hoping against hope that there was nothing blocking their way that Hermione didn't see. Their eyes begin to re-adjust to the dim light and they slowed down their pace. They were still not on the path, in fact they seemed to be even deeper into the forest. Plants surrounded them, trees towered over them and insects buzzed around them. Looking around, everything looked the same.

"Oh, _shit_, Granger. Where did you take us?"  
"I don't know. Out of centaur firing range?"

Her sarcastic tone was topped off with an irritated face. "You are very welcome, Mr. Malfoy."

She sat down on a wooden log, putting her head in her hands. Draco watched her with eyebrows furrowed, awkwardly standing there. She looked pretty shaken, with what, he didn't know. Honestly, he _was_ sorry for saying that. For insulting her parents, that had been killed by his aunt. He never knew _Mudblood_ could ever have a different effect for her.

"Thanks. For... saving me."

Draco winced as the words came out of his mouth, never having been comfortable with apologies and grateful words. Hermione looked like she stopped breathing altogether, but then nodded her head a little bit and turned to face him.

"What do we do now?"

They awkwardly stared at each other, not knowing what to say, not even knowing where they were.

"I don't know. How did you meet the centaurs? I mean, who was the human in pink and the giant?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "It was wrong. What we did. Do you remember when... you caught us, Dumbledore's Army, for Umbridge? When I said that Dumbledore had a secret weapon, and Umbridge and Harry went out with me?"  
"Yeah. That wasn't true?"  
"The reason she was in the Hospital Wing was because of the centaurs. We've encountered them even before that, with Hagrid. See, Hagrid is a half-giant, and his half-brother, Grawpy was here, in the forest."  
"What? How –"  
"Hagrid brought him there. Anyway, when we encountered them with Hagrid, I remembered _where_. The centaurs, even then, were touchy with their territory. I brought Umbridge there, thinking that they would not hurt "the young". Which means, Umbridge was the only one they could... _injure_. Umbridge insulted the centaurs, and they started firing away when _Grawp_ came. Grawp was looking for Hagrid, and the centaurs started firing at _him, _and he started a tantrum and went ripping the trees out and flicking the centaurs away. Harry and I ran away. And Umbridge... well, you saw her."

Draco gave an approving look. "Nice thinking, Granger."  
"Oh, believe me, I know."

He gave her a smirk, not really knowing how to smile, and they settled into a semi-comfortable silence. Draco laid down on a spot of grass, feeling very satisfied with the forest floor. Except for the dirt.

"Well, I guess we're spending the night then."

Hermione gave a small nod, looking around for a nice 'bed'. She stood up, and walked a little bit, still not finding a stretch of grass long enough to fit more than her head. She eyed Draco's spot enviously. He already had his eyes closed, his head resting on his arm, when he suddenly spoke.

"You can fit here, you know. Beside me. I don't have cooties."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. No cooties? That's rich. But nonetheless, Hermione couldn't help walking slowly towards Draco's spot. She sat down on the space next to him.

_Godric, this grass is soft..._

Her fingers rubbed against the forest floor and she gave a contented sigh.

"Wait until you lie down, Granger."

Hermione glared at him. "I can sleep sitting down, thanks."  
"Suit yourself."

Hermione eyed Draco as he gave out a long, soft yawn, shifting his position into a more comfortable one.

"Oh, _fine_."

She grumbled a bit as she lay down beside him, but not before scooting away as far as possible. The blades of grass and moss tickled her skin, and she let another sigh, this time more contented.

"See, I told you."  
"Oh, shut up, Malfoy."

He only chuckled a bit, half-asleep.

"Good night, Granger."

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she looked at his back. "Good night, Malfoy."

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R and R, please!

~~~ CC Malfoy 17 ~~~


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